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Friday, May 13, 2005
Book on Davao pioneers to be launched May 18
(Conclusion)
WHO IS Leon Aquino Garcia? Leon A. Garcia was a lawyer who became one of the early mayors of Davao City. He is the father of Dr. Leon M. Garcia Jr., a lawyer who became a delegate to the 1970 Constitutional Convention and Manuel "Nonoy" Garcia, another lawyer who became councilor of Davao City and congressman for three terms, and the grandfather of Vincent J. Garcia who is currently the congressman of Davao City's second congressional district.
Leon A. Garcia's story is included in the "Davao Pioneers and Public Servants," a new book written by Dr. R. Dennis J. Garcia, which will be launched at the Villa Margarita Hotel in Bajada, Davao City on May 18.
As th title implies, the book is about five Davao pioneers belonging to the families of Suazo, Monteverde and Garcia and the roles that they played in Davao's history.
The book starts with Pablo Fernando Suazo, a soldier who in 1847 joined the expedition of Don Jose Oyanguren to conquer Davao that was then under rule of Datu Bago.
In 1926, a 28-year old Batangueno, Leon Aquino Garcia, sought his fortune in Davao shortly after graduating from law school in Manila. After marrying Milagros Suazo Monteverde and becoming a father to eight children, the strong-willed gentleman and professional with forward ideas came to be admired not just by his offspring but also by his town mates. He became Davao City Mayor (1946-48) at a time when the town was in shambles in the aftermath of war, presiding over the reconstruction of the Davao City Hall, the city's schools and roads, and mediating between numerous land disputes as a result of the Japanese' exit and the influx of thousands of new arrivals from Luzon and the Visayas.
Also in the book is Milagros Monteverde Garcia, wife of Leon.
In 1909, Milagros Garcia was born as the youngest child of Tomas Monteverde with his first wife, Maria.
Orphaned of a mother at age 10 and widowed at age 44, she devoted her life to raising eight children and educating her children and 45 grandchildren, all at her expense. She was a philanthropist who shared her blessings with fellow Dabawenyos.
In 1932, Manuel Monteverde Garcia was born, the fifth child of Leon and Milagros Garcia. Orphaned of his father at age 20, Nonoy, as he is fondly called, graduated class salutatorian from the Ateneo de Manila Law School in 1955 and obtained a Master of Comparative Law degree from Columbia University in New York in 1958. He headed numerous Davao civic and professional organizations. Entering government service, he was elected as a top notcher Davao City Member of Parliament Mindanao Assemblyman (1978-84).
"Nonoy" served as Davao City District II congressman for three terms (1992-2001). He pioneered in the growth and institutionalization of the BIMP-Eaga, and espoused Davao's economic growth through the creation of proper infrastructures conducive to commerce, aiding or bringing about the construction of the Davao International Airport, the Buhangin and Agdao flyovers, the Buhangin underpass, and many others.
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (May 13, 2005 issue)
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